Unraveling the mechanism of BRCA2 in homologous recombination. Review uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • BRCA2 is the product of a breast cancer susceptibility gene in humans and the founding member of an emerging family of proteins present throughout the eukaryotic domain that serve in homologous recombination. The function of BRCA2 in recombination is to control RAD51, a protein that catalyzes homologous pairing and DNA strand exchange. By physically interacting with both RAD51 and single-stranded DNA, BRCA2 mediates delivery of RAD51 preferentially to sites of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) exposed as a result of DNA damage or replication problems. Through its action, BRCA2 helps restore and maintain integrity of the genome. This review highlights recent studies on BRCA2 and its orthologs that have begun to illuminate the molecular mechanisms by which these proteins control homologous recombination.

publication date

  • July 6, 2011

Research

keywords

  • BRCA2 Protein
  • DNA Repair
  • Models, Genetic
  • Recombination, Genetic

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC3647347

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 79960066235

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1038/nsmb.2096

PubMed ID

  • 21731065

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 18

issue

  • 7